Improvement in cotton-presses



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,05 l, dated April 15,1843.A

To LZZ whom it may concern.- v

Be it known that I, JOHN R. REMINGTON, of the county of Lowndes andState of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Press for Packing orCompressing Cotton and other Substances, and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction and operation of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings, making apart of this specification.

Figure l is an isometricalv projection of the said press, representingall the parts of said press that can be visible at one view, exceptingan upright post with a vibrating beam and two ropes leading therefrom,and attached to the efgy G, hereinafter described, which portion of themachine was omitted to avoid confusion in the lines, and is representedin geo,- metrical elevation in Fig. 2. In this drawing are shown suchparts of the machine as could not well be exhibited in Fig. 1. Fig-3 isa vertical section of the press-box, hereinafter described; and Fig. 4is an elevation of the eigy or motive weight G.

This invention consists of a series of levers whose combined actionproduces any amount of force which may be required for the purposes ofpressing cotton, tobacco, or any other substance requiring greatpressure, for extracting by pressure oil from any substance containingit, or the juice from apples, cornstalks, or sugarcane, or any otherpurposes for which screw-and-lever presses have been heretofore used,operating by the simple application of manual force to the rst lever ofvthe series lnow to be described.

Upon an upright framing of timber a a the. saddle-piece b b issupported. On this saddle-piece b b, at right angles to it, is secured abeam, c c c, (which, forthe sake of distinction, I shall terml the rstfulcrum,) having at each end a slot or opening, d and E.

In slot d is placed the rst lever, f, connected by a connectin -rod,z,to the head of the second lever, effi gy, or motive weight, G, whichhead plays freely in the slot E when manual power is applied to thefirst lever, f. The second lever, effigy, or motive weight (composedeither of wood or iron, or other metal) stands upon the inclined surfaceof alarge wheel, W, near the periphery of said wheel, and supported ontwo legs, h h, of wood or metal, armed with points of iron that preventits slipping on the said inclined surface of the wheel, which stands atan angle of thirty degrecs, or thereabout, with the horizon. Attached toeach leg of the effigy G is a line or rope, i t', connected to each endof a movable vibrating beam, j, Figs. 2 and 5, turning horizontally uponthe top of la perpendicular beam, 7c. The inclined wheel W, aforesaid,has its shaft Z journaled into the cross-tie of the upright frame a atthe upper end, m, the lower end turning on a point, a, supported by ablock of wood, o, or metal secured to the crosssill of the frame a, theinclined plane surface of the wheel YV connected with arms q q radiatingfrom the shaftl thereof, and these arms are strengthened by spur-bracess s, whose lower ends are toed into the saidshaft Z. The under edge orsurface of the spurbraces ss is notched or scored to receive and retainin position a rope, t t, wound spirally round or about them by themotion of the wheel W, and this rope t t is connected to the third ormain lever, Q, by passing first through the pulley u, next through thepulley v, and then its end made fast to the extremity of the third ormain lever, Q, which rests in a horizontal position upon the frame R,having a horizontal motion upon its vertical fulcrum or center, S, andits shorter arm secured to the beam I by a pin, W, Fig. 3. The beam I isattached as a iixture tothe pressing-block V, which block has ahorizontal. motion by sliding' in the grooves pp, and is inclosed in thepress-box X, whose sides are secured and strengthened by strong framing,as shown in the model and annexed drawings. 'Ihese several levers areput .in operation by manual power applied to the first lever, f, which,by

its connecting-rod, communicates the motion to the effigy G, which isthus tripped or thrown off its center, and resting upon one leg itswhole weight and the full power of the rst lever, f, is thus made to actupon the inclined wheel W and'cause it to rotate, which movementgradually winds the rope t t about the spur-braces s s, Fig. 2, (in thesame manner as the chain is wound upon the fuzee of a watch,) and thuscauses the -requisite motion in the main lever Q. The motion of theiirst lever, f, being reversed, a similar effect is produced, the effigyG being thus thrown upon its other leg, and its weight, combined withthe effect of lever f, causes rotary motion in the wheel W, as beforestated. A reciprocating motion of lever f being continued, the effigy Gacting in the manner before stated upon the inclined wheel W, a steadyrotation is obtained, as desired. The rope t winds on a spiral wheel ornotched arms, and may be supposed to wind upon the grooved surface of aninverted cone, commencing lnear the base when speed is required, andgradually gaining power at the expense of speed as increased powerbecomes necessary.

Attached to the saddle-piece of the upright frame a (o is a detachedlever, Y, Fig. 6, which is armed with a projecting h'ook at its shorterextremity, serves the purpose of raising the eft'gy off the surface ofthe inclined wheel W when it is desired to slack up and overhaul therope by unwinding it from the wheel V. On the inclined plane surfaces ofthe wheel W, aforesaid, outside the path of effigy G, and nearer theedge or periphery of said wheel, are placed foot-cleats r r orprojections for the following purpose: When the press is to be put intooperation, the efligy G is raised from the surface of the wheel YV bythe detached lever y. The rope t t is then overhauled, the main lever Qmoved horizontally, so as to withdraw the pressing-block V in the box X,leaving a sufficient space between said block V and the end of thepress-box X at c to introduce whatever substance is to undergo theoperation of pressing therein. The press being now ready for action, aman mounts upon the surface of the inclined plane of the wheel W, andpoising himself against the effgy G or against a part of the frame a, bytreading successively upon the foot-cleats 1" r causes the inclinedwheel W to rotate rapidly, and thus to wind up rapidly the slack rope,and also communicates the first pressure to whatever has been placed inthe box X. An additional force of one or two men can thus be put to workon the wheel WV until a very considerable pressure is induced by itsrotation. The

detached lever Y is then released and the effigy is put down on theinclined wheel W, and is l caused to operate'and complete the pressing,as above described.

This press can be applied to the purpose of other substances as arepressed for their juice, vand by its great power to the purpose ofcompressing the juice from them without previously crushing or mashingthem, as has heretofore been found necessary before pressing them.

I am aware that an inclined wheel has been Y operated with the v iew ofmultiplying power by means of a steppingweight; but in such cases theSteppers', or, as they may be called, the legs,7 have been attachedtothe weight by joints, and the stepping has been effected bythe workingof these joints. therefore simply claim the use of a steppingweight onan inclined wheel; but

Vhat I do claim as my invention is- 1. The employment, in the mannerdescribed, of a stepping-weight, with permanent legs, operating withcertainty and effect in stepping upon the inclined wheel by a slightreciprocating motion communicated to its upper end or head.

2. The combined stepping-weight and inclined wheel, in combination withthe'leverf, and also with the slot e, in which the upper end of theweight slides and communicates its motion to the wheel, as hereindescribed.

3. The combined stepping-weight and inclined wheel, vin combination withthe spirall on which the rope from the main lever Q winds,

as described,

' JOHN R. REMINGTON.

Witnesses:

Ons. M. KELLER, DIxoN H. Lnwrs. p

I do not

